So I'm a bit late on checking this album apart from the radio singles. His mixtape a few years ago was great (Acidrap) and I would say I'm a fan but this album is such a letdown!
The track with Francis and the Lights is good. Contrast of wispy vocals and fast electronic beat works well and Chance is doing his thing - laid back and funny kind of character rhymes.
But the first two tracks are terrible. And most of the features ruin it! Kanye's feature does very little (compared with Chance's feature on Kanye's album where he demolished him!)
And 2 Chainz is awful. "Rhymes" that don't rhyme. Not telling any kind of story. Just talking uninteresting words. What is this shallow mess?
Even I'm sounding old when I wonder how the hell autotune is acceptable? As an audio effect I get it, but not as a permanent crutch for artists with no personal character?
And don't get me started on how the track about juke, which features Justin Beiber and samples Mount Kimbie?! What the f*** just happened to make that make any kind of sense?
If you compare with uk grime which has properly come into its own in the last few years - not necessarily in storytelling but use of lyrics, wordplay and humour - recent commercial hip hop is looking completely lacking.
Am I sounding out of touch?